The Department of Homeland Security called on California leaders to take action amid continued protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.
Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to control the crowd.
Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who don’t leave.
“California politicians must call off their rioting mob,” the Department of Homeland Security wrote on social media. “Federal law enforcement are working to protect and safeguard American citizens from criminal illegal aliens. Why is California’s governor siding with foreign criminals?”
The protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, were triggered by raids and dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members.
Critics say Trump — who has made clamping down on illegal migration a key pillar of his second term — deliberately stoked tensions by sending in California’s National Guard, a stand-by military usually controlled by the state governor.
AFP contributed to this report.
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